Cain's Quest 2016 team rescues teenager near Natuashish

The mother of a teenager from Natuashish can't say thank you enough to the Cain's Quest 2016 team who brought her son back to the community safe and sound Sunday night.

• Cain's Quest 2016: check out CBC's full coverage
• Get updates on Cain's Quest with the CBC live blog 

"I was shocked, at first…I was really angry," said Christine Poker, upon learning that while she was out of town, 16-year-old Mantesh Poker decided to hop on his snowmobile and visit a friend in Hopedale, a two to three-hour journey, all by himself.

On his return, Mantesh's snowmobile light went out, and in the dark, he had only the glow of his iPod to help him try to decipher the snowmobile trail from the rest of the wilderness.

On The Throttle to the rescue

Cain's Quest competitors, taking part in the 3,500 kilometre endurance race across Labrador, happened to be in the area.

Christine Poker said her son spotted a few and tried to tail them, but the bright lights from their machines obscured the trail.

"He thought he could race with them, but he said they drive really fast and they drove by," said Poker.

"He said he wasn't scared...he said he never got lost."

Another team — one Christine Poker's brother, Andre Rich, is on — stopped and checked in with Mantesh, determined he was OK and rode on ahead to Natuashish.

As a search and rescue team prepared to go look for Mantesh, and the teenager's spirits flagged in the dark, another team's headlights appeared: Team Nine, On The Throttle.

The racers, Mark Tinkham of Gander and Jeff Crann of Little Britain, Ont., stopped to see why Mantesh was by himself.

"They asked him if he needed anything, or help to get back to the community, and he said yes," said Poker, adding the team took up the position on either side of the boy and guided him back to Natuashish.

"I really want to thank those number nine Cain's Quest racers and thank them that they took my boy home."

'What if?'

Poker said while she's relieved that her son is safe and sound, that doesn't mean he's off the hook.

"I said, 'I'm really disappointed in you'. Not in an angry voice, just scared," said Poker.

"I just kept saying, what if? I said, what if it was blowing snow, you wouldn't have seen the trail."

Poker said Mantesh now needs approval from her — in advance — before embarking on any more snowmobiling adventures, although he does have his sights set on racing in Cain's Quest one day.

Maybe then, he'll be able to pay Team 9's kindness forward.